Abstract
The number of persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias continues to grow in America and worldwide. There is a very high prevalence rate of residents in long-term care communities including nursing homes and assisted living communities. Typically, our long-term care communities utilize a medical model of care, which does not enable this population to achieve its functional or emotional potential. Residents with dementia can achieve quality of life and often have higher functional potential than facilitated within a medical model. This article presents an interdisciplinary model based on theoretical foundations, using the theory of retrogenesis developed by Dr Barry Reisberg, the Person-Centered first approach developed by Dr Thomas Kitwood, and the Allen cognitive disabilities theory developed by Claudia Allen. Examples of the system of implementation of the Forget-Me-Not Care Model(TM) developed by the author are given.